1 Answer from Attorneys

It means what the name implies, which is that the attorney is giving a notice of a leave of absence, or in other words, the attorney is letting everybody know that he or she won't be around for a specific period of time.

Attorneys can give a notice of leave of absence if they don't have an appearance scheduled on a court calender, such a trial or hearing, and short leaves of absence (e.g., less than 30 days) will generally be granted unless the other side objects.

An attorney will generally file a leave of absence anytime he or she knowingly will be unavailable (e.g., taking a vacation or having surgery) so that the judge won't call a case to trial while the attorney is away.